China, US hold first strategic dialogue

    

    China, US hold first strategic dialogue

    China and the United States held their first strategic dialogue yesterday and agreed to increase co-operation and constructive relations.

    The closed-door dialogue,the first senior-level meeting of its kind between the two countries,was co-chaired by Vice-Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo and US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who arrived in Beijing on Sunday.

    During a full day of discussions starting at 9 am,both sides exchanged views in a candid and in-depth manner,according to a Foreign Ministry press release.

    Both sides agreed the dialogue was helpful and constructive in improving mutual understanding.

    The two sides reiterated that the long-term,healthy and stable development of Sino-US relations is in the interests of both nations and peoples.

    Maintaining and expanding co-operation between China and the United States is of great significance to promoting peace,stability and development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world both at present and in the future,it said.

    The two countries would actively implement the consensus reached between their leaders and push forward their constructive relations and co-operation by increasing dialogue, building mutual trust, and handling differences properly.

The two sides also agreed to hold a second strategic dialogue in the United States.

    The first dialogue came as a result of the consensus reached between President Hu Jintao and US President George W. Bush during the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit in Chile last year. The dialogues may take place twice a year.

    The dialogue is a new peak in Sino-US relations,following recent frequent high-level visits and exchanges between the two countries.

    During his stopover in Hong Kong on Saturday,Zoellick said he would discuss "strategic issues of common interest" such as foreign policy and the economy with senior Chinese officials.The two nations would seek negotiations rather than confrontations in tackling their conflicts and differences.

    China and the United States have agreed to continue their consultations to seek a solution to textile trade disputes.

    The annual session of the Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade was held on July 11 in Beijing.

    The two sides agreed to set up co-operation mechanisms on cross border prosecutions for intellectual property rights violations and on the protection of copyrights for movies.

    Zoellick said the discussions with Chinese officials would enable the two countries"to get a better sense of one another's interests: where there are points of mutuality-and I believe there are many;how to work co-operatively; but also, where we have differences, how best to try to manage

    Zoellick is another important member of the Bush administration to visit China within a month, following US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Trade Representative Rob Portman, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns.

    The dialogue coincides with the fourth round of Six-Party Talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue now under way in Beijing-an issue showcasing Sino-US co-operation.

    Also yesterday, the inter-parliamentary group of the National People's Congress of China and the US Congress held its 7th meeting in Beijing, exchanging views on bilateral relations, trade disputes and the Taiwan question.

 

 

Source: China Daily

(2005-8-2)

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